1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of transferring a mixture from a reaction process or a production process to an analyzing device to analyze it. More specifically, it relates to a method of transferring a sample of a mixture in the process to an analyzing device remote from the process safely and stably without a substantial change in the composition of the sample within a predetermined period of time.
2. Description Of the Prior Art
It has been the practice to take a small amount of a sample from a process line for producing a chemical compound on an industrial scale in order to control the quality of the compound, and the safety of the process, or to determine the progress of the reaction. Particularly, with the recent automation of the production process, it is necessary to determine the progress of the reaction more accurately, and devices and means for automatically analyzing such a sample periodically have been developed.
Since the analyzing accuracy of an analyzing device for analyzing the sample taken is generally prone to be influenced by exterior factors such as humidity, temperature and vibration, it is rare that the site of taking a sample to be analyzed is near the place at which the analyzing device for analyzing the sample is set up, and they are considerably separated from each other, and at times as remote as more than 100 meters.
Transfer of the sample to such a remote analyzing device is carried out, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,610, by dissolving the sample in a solvent by stirring with a gas, and then sending the solution containing the sample in an analysis line using a pressurized gas and conveying it to the place where the analysis device is set up.
However, because this method sends a sample solution to the place of the analysis device by using a pressurized gas, the time of arrival of the analysis sample will be markedly delayed because of the expansion or shrinkage of the pressurized gas or its leakage, and at times, the movement of the sample might be stopped and an accurate analysis of the sample might fail. The length of the analyzing sample in the analysis line is generally several tens of centimeters. When the same sample is to be analyzed by using a number of analyzing devices, a length of about 1 to 2 meters may be necessary. When a gas is used as a pressurized medium for transfer, the time required for the Sample to arrive at the analyzing device may differ with considerable errors depending upon the expansion or Shrinkage of the pressurized gas caused by temperature changes. Sometimes, the solvent dissolving the sample is evaporated in the pressurized gas to precipitate the sample which may narrow the analysis line. In such a case, there are considerable errors in the time of arrival of the sample. In such a case, the concentration of the sample will vary and the sample may not be able to be analyzed accurately. In the conventional method of transferring the sample with a pressurized gas, it is difficult to maintain the transferring state of the sample constant. Accordingly, it is very difficult to set the timing of analyzing the sample being transferred through the analysis line.